A Companion's Lot
by Mara Greengrass
Summary: Shortly after Inara joins the crew of Serenity, she has a run-in with Jayne, which makes her think about her career and her place in the crew.


TITLE: A Companion's Lot  
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass  
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.  
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Sure, just let me know.  
CATEGORY: Gen  
RATINGS/WARNINGS: PG for vague mentions of sex  
SUMMARY: Shortly after Inara joins the crew of Serenity, she has a run-in with Jayne, which makes her think about her career and her place in the crew.  
DISCLAIMER: Serenity and its crew belong to Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, and many other entities with expensive lawyers. I am making no profit from this story.  
NOTES: This was slightly inspired by a discussion on firefly_over_30 about the role of Companions. Thanks for the beta go to Captain Average, the superhero with faith in Joss Whedon. In case you don't recognize it, the title is paraphrased from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, _The Pirates of Penzance_.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Inara stood in the doorway to her shuttle, examining every detail of the décor, from top to bottom and side to side. Her training had been rigorous in all aspects, but physical environment was one that she considered particularly important. Especially when the planets she would be visiting out on the fringe were not the most...civilized.  
  
While Serenity was in transit, Inara used the opportunity to redecorate and revamp her working and living quarters. Her clients were sure to appreciate the touch of luxury, she thought as she stepped over to a wall to critically examine a wall hanging in subtle tones of burgundy and gold. That fray along the upper left would need to be repaired immediately, or the whole piece replaced, she decided as she tilted her head slightly to one side to see it better.  
  
She turned to consider the view from the side of the small room and was pleased. The lighting was soft enough to flatter most complexions, but not so dark as to look depressing. Draped and hanging fabrics covered the most dilapidated elements of the shuttle, softening the hard edges and subtly relaxing the mind. Sniffing, she decided that the scent in the air was just a bit strong, and in the future she'd tone it down a bit, perhaps replace it with something less aggressively floral.  
  
A rustling at the shuttle's entrance was barely audible over the string quartet she had been listening to, but it interrupted her contemplation. She turned quickly, but showed no other reaction when Jayne stepped into the shuttle. This was due, once again, to her thorough training--if a one-eyed hunchback had staggered in, in theory, she would have done no more than perhaps raise a shapely eyebrow.  
  
In fact, as she considered the figure in front of her, she thought briefly that a one-eyed staggering hunchback might be a thoroughgoing improvement on Jayne-- especially if said hunchback could hold a coherent conversation.  
  
He'd obviously made an effort to clean up, which she supposed showed rudimentary intelligence, but the look in his eyes showed little more than that. Careful handling would be required with this one if she didn't want to irreparably damage relations with a dangerous and contentious crewmate.  
  
'A Companion's lot is not an 'appy one,' her mind informed her, misquoting the old song for at least the thousandth time since she'd joined the guild.   
  
"Hello," she said, when he paused in the entrance, apparently speechless.  
  
He was emboldened by her speaking to him, and stepped quickly toward her. Forcibly restraining the urge to step backward, she looked up at him, expressionless, knowing that anything else might encourage him.  
  
"Well?" he asked, looking a little bit confused.  
  
"Well, what?" Probably best to play stupid until she came up with a better plan.  
  
His eyes narrowed, and apparently he sensed he was being made fun of in some way. "What do you do?"  
  
"I help the Captain gain access to planets that won't negotiate with the working class." Obtuseness and obfuscation were powerful weapons, she thought.  
  
"Not that. I mean, what do you do in here," he waved a general hand around the shuttle's interior, "for your...customers?"   
  
"That depends on many factors," she said, moving away to sink gracefully into a chair, one specifically placed so that there were no nearby seats.   
  
He looked around and then chose an intricately carved wooden chair, practically perching on the edge of its cushioned seat. "What kinda factors?" His knee was practically bouncing in excitement.  
  
She smiled at Jayne, now that she'd moved away and he'd made no hostile moves. "That depends on what they need me to do, how long we are contracted for, their planet of origin..."  
  
If it would help, she thought, she was perfectly capable of sex with Jayne. By law, Companions always chose their clients, but there had been times when, for various reasons, she had been with men with more repulsive personalities and appearances. Unfortunately, all her instincts told her that was exactly the wrong thing to do in this situation. Once she worked for a member of the crew, things could only go downhill.  
  
"What can you do for me?"  
  
She stomped firmly on a sudden flare of temper. "Jayne, you're a crewmate, not a client. It would be inappropriate."  
  
In a flash he was standing, and between temper and a touch of fear, she had difficulty staying still. But through force of will, she left her arms resting in her lap, and simply tilted her head up to look at him, willing her body language to calm him down.  
  
"Inappropriate? Hell, what about you and the Captain? D'you just like him better?" He loomed over her, but she felt a twinge of sympathy for the less-than-complex man.  
  
"I have done nothing with Captain Reynolds," she said, her voice low and calm.  
  
"Y'expect me to believe that?"   
  
Jayne looked honestly befuddled, and she sighed. "Only because it is the truth."  
  
"Then why're you here?"  
  
"We've covered that. My status as a Companion will allow all of you to trade on a great many additional planets." She allowed her face to soften just a little. "I'm sorry if you misunderstood. I'm sure you haven't ever had a chance to talk to a Companion before."  
  
He still loomed, but looked uncertain how to react. She'd best move quickly, she judged, to keep uncertainty from shifting to anger.  
  
"I'll bet you didn't have too many Companions on your world," she said, pitching her voice at its most soothing.  
  
"Well, no, not exactly." He shifted his weight from foot to foot and she watched carefully for the moment he was most uncertain.  
  
"Companions are not quite what you think. The Captain teases me by calling me Ambassador, but he's right in a way. Please, sit down." She waved at the chair he'd been sitting on, and rose herself. "Would you like something to drink? I believe I still have some of that new brandy they're growing on Ceres II."  
  
She'd timed it perfectly and Jayne found himself seated with a glass of brandy, a piece of chocolate, and a beautiful woman making an elegant amount of fuss over him.  
  
Watching him drink, Inara winced a bit. She'd intended that brandy for a client, but if it helped her keep the peace, it was all in a good cause.  
  
After a few minutes of her feeding him, Jayne began to feel uncomfortable, just as she'd planned. All the things she used to make her clients feel at ease could work the opposite way. As soon as possible, she changed the music to a piece guaranteed to give almost anyone the jitters within a few minutes. Inara was accustomed to it, as well as to schooling her features, but Jayne began to fidget.  
  
He was outmaneuvered and outclassed, and if he couldn't be certain how it had happened, he could be certain it was true. She was finally able to chivvy him out the door, unsure what had happened, but convinced it would be easier to find sex someplace else.  
  
When he was gone, casting one last wistful glance over his shoulder at her--well, at her chest, actually--she occupied her hands in tidying up.  
  
Her mind wandered, though, to what life was going to be like on Serenity. Obviously, she was moving out of her accustomed circles, away from people who knew her and her place in the world.  
  
If she were completely honest with herself--as a Companion needed to be--she wasn't certain what the Captain thought of her and her job. He hid his thoughts and beliefs amazingly well under insults and foolish talk, although she doubted most people ever noticed that it was only a cover for much deeper things. It wasn't often she encountered someone who left her so befuddled, who was such a challenge to understand.   
  
Wash and Zoe, on the other hand, didn't particularly care what she did, as long as she wasn't working for the Alliance. And Wash certainly wasn't going to cause her any trouble--that was obvious from the first moment she saw him look at Zoe. At least, it was obvious to anyone with years of training in body language, she amended.  
  
Kaylee, of course, wasn't generally interested in anything that didn't involve engines, but she showed signs of being intrigued by Inara. A sweet child, she thought with a smile.  
  
Just as she'd put everything back in order, Inara heard the sounds of someone entering the shuttle.  
  
She whirled around, this time unable to completely school her features, and Malcolm grinned at her. Hands up in mock surrender, he stepped past the door hangings. "Whoa. I'm unarmed."  
  
A laugh and a scowl fought for dominance on her face. "What do you want?"  
  
"Is that any way to greet a man, your Captain I might add, who's come here for a friendly visit?" He strolled in and began a circuit around the shuttle as she watched, exasperated.  
  
Hands on her hips, she glared at him. *This* man didn't need to be coddled or worked, she could play it straight. "Not you, too."   
  
Malcolm's strolling came to an abrupt halt and he rotated on his heel, expression confused. "Me too, what?"  
  
"Expecting services rendered because I'm aboard your ship. I just sent Jayne packing and my rule is the same as when we made our arrangement: I don't work for the crew." She crossed her arms.  
  
"Jayne? Jayne was here?" He seemed stuck on that, then looked at her. "That's why you thought *I* was here? I just came to see how your renovations were going."  
  
She flushed. "I'm sorry. It's just that Jayne only left a few minutes ago."  
  
"You compared me to him? I think I'm insulted." Now, he was smirking, arms crossed in an imitation of her stance.  
  
Inara sighed, wondering why this man could so easily disrupt years of training. She let her hands drop back to her sides, and tried to regain her usual calm. "My apologies for the misunderstanding. The renovations are going well and perhaps I should get back to them."  
  
"Don't let me stand in your way." He meandered back toward the door.  
  
"Captain?"  
  
"Yes?" He paused and half-turned.  
  
"Next time you come to visit, do you think could knock before you walk in?"  
  
"I'll sure...think about it."  
  
"Get out."  
  
He made it all the way out the door before sticking his head back in. "This has been a test of the emergency bitch system. Had this been an actual bitch-"  
  
"Out!"  
  
He chuckled and was gone. Inara sank down on her couch and took a few deep breaths. Obviously, life aboard Serenity was doomed to be anything but peaceful. 


End file.
